When a Scot Ties the Knot

When a Scot Ties the Knot

by Tessa Dare

Sometimes you need a cookie cutter romance. This was not that time for me. I don’t know why there are so many romance books about Scottish men and dainty women, but here’s another one.

Madeline Gracechurch does not want to marry as she would much rather embrace spinsterhood (thirty, flirty, and spinsterhood anybody?) and focus on her career of scientific illustrations of bugs. Society won’t let her rest until she is married, so she does what any women would and creates a fake suitor. She writes to her imaginary Captain Logan MacKenzie. He’s away at war, alas, otherwise they would be marry already. Finally after years of writing to Captain make-believe, she covers her tracks and informs her family of his death on the battle field. Can you hear the sad bagpipes? A moment of silence please, for our fallen imaginary friend. Hands dusted; Madeline retires to her own estate to live out her career-rich life as a widow. But her letters catch up to her, when a real man arrives claiming to be her long lost love, Captain Logan MacKenzie.  Shenanigans ensue.

I will say this was a solid romance, but not much more. If you gobble romance books up like candies, this would be a good one to place on your candy conveyor belt. For me, I often struggle with romance because of the often-predictable patterns, but there is sweetness to be found here. Maybe when I am feeling softer and gooier, I will come to appreciate it more, but for those of your with a sweet tooth, I hold this confection out to you. It’s plaid striped.